An opinionated 2026 tech stack for startups — frontend, backend, database, auth, payments, AI, and observability.
Frontend: Next.js 15 or TanStack Start for web; React Native or Flutter for mobile.
Backend: Node + Hono on edge, or Bun. Avoid heavy frameworks unless you have Java/Rails muscle memory.
Database: Postgres (Supabase / Neon) — still unbeaten in 2026.
Auth: Clerk or Supabase Auth. Don't build your own.
Payments: Stripe everywhere, Paddle if you need merchant-of-record for EU/UK VAT.
AI: OpenAI / Anthropic via a single gateway; switch models per task.
Observability: Sentry + PostHog + Axiom logs. Three tools cover 95% of incidents.
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